Comments on: Battle of the Aleutian Islands: Recapturing Attuhttp://www.historynet.com/battle-of-the-aleutian-islands-recapturing-attu.htm
From the World's Largest History Magazine PublisherTue, 03 Mar 2015 18:48:16 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2By: Julie Woodhttp://www.historynet.com/battle-of-the-aleutian-islands-recapturing-attu.htm#comment-3757707
Julie WoodWed, 25 Feb 2015 14:01:20 +0000#comment-3757707My father, Jack Benton Wood was in the Navy and his discharge date was 22 Dec., 1945. He was a radioman on aircraft. I have his photo album with pictures of him and his buddies while on one of the Aleutian Islands. We used to have his jacket, gloves, boots and hat all lined with lambs wool. He never spoke of his days in the Navy so I don't have much to go on. Pictures weren't labeled either. I would like to know more about his life in the Navy and would appreciate any help. I would be happy to share pictures from his album as well. Thank you for any information and thank you for your honored service to this country.
Sincerely,
Julie Wood,
proud daughter of a WWII VeteranMy father, Jack Benton Wood was in the Navy and his discharge date was 22 Dec., 1945. He was a radioman on aircraft. I have his photo album with pictures of him and his buddies while on one of the Aleutian Islands. We used to have his jacket, gloves, boots and hat all lined with lambs wool. He never spoke of his days in the Navy so I don't have much to go on. Pictures weren't labeled either. I would like to know more about his life in the Navy and would appreciate any help. I would be happy to share pictures from his album as well. Thank you for any information and thank you for your honored service to this country.
Sincerely,
Julie Wood,
proud daughter of a WWII Veteran
]]>By: Christian Gallardohttp://www.historynet.com/battle-of-the-aleutian-islands-recapturing-attu.htm#comment-3513222
Christian GallardoThu, 08 Jan 2015 12:51:56 +0000#comment-3513222Hello Doran,
My fathers name is Anthony (Tony) Gallardo. He lived in the Bronx and raised us in Red Bank. He served on the Guadalcanal and was in the Navy from 1969-1973.
I know I'm not much help but I'm curious if you've gotten any more information?
Thanx-
Christian Gallardo
cartist23@yahoo.comHello Doran,

My fathers name is Anthony (Tony) Gallardo. He lived in the Bronx and raised us in Red Bank. He served on the Guadalcanal and was in the Navy from 1969-1973.

I know I'm not much help but I'm curious if you've gotten any more information?
Thanx-
Christian Gallardocartist23@yahoo.com

August 1943 at Kiska
9th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment
19th Field Regiment
20th Field Regiment (shared with the 7th Canadian Infantry Division)
21st Field Regiment
24th Field Regiment (shared with the 7th Canadian Infantry Division)
25th Field Regiment
13th Canadian Infantry Brigade The Canadian Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
The Winnipeg Grenadiers
The Rocky Mountain Rangers
Le Régiment de Hull
24th Field Regiment, RCA
46th Light AA Battery, RCA
24th Field Company, RCE
1 Company, St. John Fusiliers M-G[2]

Medical Support for the Aleutians Campaign as a whole. The 3 Hospitalization Platoons and/or Headquarters Sections were broken down into 4 independent units to better fit the Battalion Landing Groups (BLG) causing quite some confusion, as frequent changes occurred prior to the landing:

The ground commander was Commanding General 7th US Infantry Division…forces assigned Navy are by designated task forces KING and ROGER; however, there were other TF in/around the islands providing something of support, cover, or protection. Huge navy footprint nonetheless.

The garrisons for Attu and the selected site in the Near Islands are to be designated by the Commanding General Western Defense Command includes the 17th Infantry Combat Team, 32nd Infantry Combat Team, 78th Coast Artillery Anti-Aircraft (CAAA) & 2nd Battalion 51st CAAA.

2 August, Task Group Baker (Rear Admiral Wilder D. Baker) and Task Group King (Rear Admiral Howard F. Kingman) carried out a combined bombardment, the former from the south, the latter from the north. The groups were organized as follows:

Major General Harry Wickwire Foster was commander of the Canadian forces except those under the FSSF. In 1941, he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel, Foster assumed command of 4th Reconnaissance Regiment–4th Princess Louise Dragoon Guards, the recently activated scout formation assigned to 1st Canadian Infantry Division in England. Then in 1942, he was appointed CO, Highland Light Infantry of Canada. (See Angelo N. Caravaggio \Commanding the Green Centre Line in Normandy: A Case Study of Division Command in the Second World War\, Wilfrid Laurier University p. 351. Retrieved 9 August 2012.)

He led Canadian troops in the Kiska campaign in 1943, for which he was awarded the American Legion of Merit. Foster commented in his diary “I feel bloody silly coming all this way for nothing.” (See \Canada’s Unknown War\ retrieved 9 August 2012 http://www.rusi.ca/Canada's Unknown War.htm) Canadian involvement in the war in the Pacific was minimal.

Canadian troops remained on Kiska for more than three months, building roads and piers. Casualties were four killed by enemy booby traps or accidental explosions. Overall the Greenlight force had taken 313 fatal casualties. The Canadian Army expected to participate fully in the war against Japan once Germany had been defeated. To gain experience and an idea of conditions there, nearly 100 officers were sent to the Pacific and Southeast Asia theatres as observers, attached to the American, British, Australian and New Zealand armies. In 1943, he was promoted Brigadier and commanding the 7th Canadian Infantry Brigade/3rd Canadian Division, which landed on Juno beach 6 June 1944, D-Day.

Plans for the Assault

Although the occupation of Kiska was achieved without enemy opposition, it nevertheless was conducted under combat conditions until the landing was well underway.

Considerably larger forces were allotted to the assault on Kiska than had been used at Attu, since the garrison of the former island was known to have been several times as large as Attu's. The landing force consisted of 34,426 troops, 5,300 of whom were Canadian. Ships involved were three battleships, one heavy cruiser, one light cruiser, nineteen destroyers, five attack transports, one attack cargo vessel, ten transports, three cargo vessels, one fast transport, fourteen LSTs, nine LCI(L)s, nineteen LCT(5)s, two light minelayers, three fast minesweepers, two tugs, one harbor tug, and one surveying ship. Potential air strength was 24 heavy bombers, 44 medium bombers, 28 dive bombers, 60 fighters, and 12 patrol bombers. Command of the attack force was vested in Admiral Rockwell, while Maj. Gen. C.H. Corlett was to command the landing force. Supreme command was again in the hands of VAdm Thomas C. Kinkaid, who had been promoted.

As soon as success at Attu was assured, plans for the attack on Kiska were placed in work. In this case it was possible for shore party and fire control party personnel with experience at Attu to be sent to California for training exercises. The troops eventually employed consisted of the 17th Infantry, 53rd Infantry, 87th Mountain Infantry, 184th Infantry, First Special Service Force, 13th Canadian Infantry Brigade Group, and headquarters troops. The 17th Infantry was to be returned to Adak from Attu, where the 159th would replace it. The 53rd Infantry was a composite group organized in Alaska. The 87th Mountain Infantry reported atFort Ord on 19 June. The 13th Canadian Infantry Brigade assembled on Vancouver Island between 1 and 15 June.

With the exception of the 17th Infantry, most of these units had had no significant amphibious training. The First Special Service Force, however, consisted of about 1,800 men especially trained in commando tactics, rubber boat handling, and parachuting. While the majority of the men involved were to receive preliminary training outside the Alaskan area, experience at Attu had shown that it was essential for troops unfamiliar with the Aleutian terrain to have at least two weeks' training in the area itself.

]]>By: g. lakehttp://www.historynet.com/battle-of-the-aleutian-islands-recapturing-attu.htm#comment-3443695
g. lakeThu, 25 Dec 2014 05:58:57 +0000#comment-3443695don't kid yourself--I have made shots that were over 1 mile--and my brother made a deer kill almost 2 miles!don't kid yourself–I have made shots that were over 1 mile–and my brother made a deer kill almost 2 miles!
]]>By: Gary Leehttp://www.historynet.com/battle-of-the-aleutian-islands-recapturing-attu.htm#comment-3177037
Gary LeeMon, 01 Dec 2014 15:51:17 +0000#comment-3177037James-
Thanks for the clarification. I have a couple of questions for you.
First. I have a picture that is of my dad in a ship hold and none of them except one is wearing any kind of patch.
It took me years but the picture of the patch is very bleary and I now have it figured out. It is a patch with either a Moose, a deer, or a Caribou on it. I was wondering if you might now which Military and branch would have a patch with one of these on them?
Also, a large group of men from the Aleuts went to Europe after the campaign. Do you know which ones? They were assigned to the 3rd army. Thanks bro.-gJames-
Thanks for the clarification. I have a couple of questions for you.
First. I have a picture that is of my dad in a ship hold and none of them except one is wearing any kind of patch.
It took me years but the picture of the patch is very bleary and I now have it figured out. It is a patch with either a Moose, a deer, or a Caribou on it. I was wondering if you might now which Military and branch would have a patch with one of these on them?
Also, a large group of men from the Aleuts went to Europe after the campaign. Do you know which ones? They were assigned to the 3rd army. Thanks bro.-g
]]>By: James LaVerdurehttp://www.historynet.com/battle-of-the-aleutian-islands-recapturing-attu.htm#comment-3079401
James LaVerdureFri, 14 Nov 2014 12:42:15 +0000#comment-3079401Gary, The 32nd Infantry that you mention that fought on Attu, was really the 32nd Regiment 7th Infantry Division, the only other units that fought on Attu, where the 17th Regiment 7th Infantry Division and a Battalion from the 4th Infantry, the 4th then went to Europe to fight. The 17th and 32nd Regiments of the 7th Infantry Division, went onto Kwajalein, Leyte and Okinawa.
JimGary, The 32nd Infantry that you mention that fought on Attu, was really the 32nd Regiment 7th Infantry Division, the only other units that fought on Attu, where the 17th Regiment 7th Infantry Division and a Battalion from the 4th Infantry, the 4th then went to Europe to fight. The 17th and 32nd Regiments of the 7th Infantry Division, went onto Kwajalein, Leyte and Okinawa.